Protecting holders



Sept. 3, 1968 D. 5. LOVE 3,399,759

PROTECTING HOLDERS Filed Nov. 5, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l 77 a I I i X v f 3 I 2 7 FIG] INVENTOR Douqhs 5. Love Elma m9 M Arm ays P 3, 1963 D. 5. LOVE 3,399,759

PROTECT ING HOLDERS Filed Nov. 5, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Flea.

INVENTOR Douqhs 8. Love BY D2560 Wm (MOW-MAL ATTORNEY$ United States Patent 3,399,759 PROTECTING HOLDERS Douglas Stanley Love, East Grinstead, England, assignor to The Express Injector Company Limited, Brighton, England, a corporation of England Filed Nov. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 591,891 4 Claims. (Cl. 206---1) This invention relates to protecting holders, which are suitable to keep detachable nozzle caps of needleless hypodermic injectors under sterile and locked conditions.

It has been described for instance in the specification of Briiish Patent 964,585 and patent application No. 46,357/64, that injectors for needleless injections may have a detachable nozzle cap, which keeps the introvertible ampou-le used in these injections in position. These caps are provided with an orifice at the lower end and with means for coupling them to the injector at the upper end, and usually have sides of prismatic or cylindrical shape with parallel splines or grooves for a better grasp. It is important to maintain the orifice undamaged and clean, because the character and quality of the high pressure jet produced in these injections greatly depends on this part of the instrument. A selection of nozzle caps and the injectors without the caps may advantageously be kept and sterilised separately, and it has been necessary to protect the caps from impact and contamination.

It is an object of the present invention therefore to provide a holder, which is suitable to protect the nozzle cap in these respects, and is at the same time, capable of receiving, locking and releasing the cap efliciently without the necessity of touching the cap by hand.

According to the present invention therefore there is provided a holder for the protection and handling of a detachable nozzle cap of a needleless injector, comprising in combination a hollow body for captively and nonrotatably accommodating the cap, the said hollow body having a first opening at one end for receiving the cap and a second opening at the other end providing access to the nozzle part of the cap, respective means for closing the openings, and an outer casing, which is turnably mounted on the hollow body and has locking means for securing the cap in the hollow body, the locking means being operated by the turning of the outer casing.

The requirement to accommodate the nozzle cap nonrotatably does not restrict the cap from being turn-able to a limited degree. It excludes, however, cases Where an unhindered, full 360 turn is allowed for the nozzle cap.

The turning of the outer casing on the hollow body may conveniently be limited to a small but sufficient angle by mounting a pin or screw across the wall of the outer casing, which projects into an adjacent slot in the wall of the hollow body. This restricts the movement of the two parts relative to each other to two alternative releasing (or receiving) and locking positions with respect to the nozzle cap.

It is advantageous to adjust the length and the position of the slot in such a way that when the upper end of the holder is opened and the coupling means are exposed, these can be operated and the cap thereby attached to the injector by turning the holder, preferably clockwise, and with it the outer casing of it into a releasing position. This enables the holder to be pulled ofr as soon as the cap has been secured to the injector. After the injector has been used, the same holder, having its outer casing and the hollow body still in the same releasing (or now receiving) position, can thus be pulled on to the nozzle cap and the cap be detached from the injector and secured in the holder by turning the holder in the opposite direction, preferably anticlockwise, and with it the outer casing into a locking position.

3,399,759 Patented Sept. 3, 1968 Closing means are conveniently provided at the lower end of the holder enabling the same to be opened and the orifice in the nozzle part of the cap be exposed to sterilisation or inspection. The holder and its components may be manufactured of any suitable material strong enough to protect the cap and withstand the conditions of sterilisation. Holders made of hard, heat resistant plastics, such as polycarbonates, have been found satisfactory.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, reference will be made to the drawing accompanying the specification, which illustrates by way of example a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of the holder with a side view of the nozzle cap therein, the hollow body and the outer casing being in the locking position;

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the holder with the nozzle cap (locking position, X-X section);

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of the holder in the receiving (or releasing) position, with the upper and lower closing caps removed; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are parts of cross sections of FIGS. 1 and 3 at the screw which limits the movement of the outer casing.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5 of the drawing the holder comprises a hollow body 1, an inner surface 2. of which is formed so as to accommodate tightly a nozzle cap 3 having a splined surface 4. Rotatably mounted on the hollow body 1 there is an outer casing 5, which is provided with a shaped inward projecting rim 6 enabling the nozzle cap 3 to be slipped into the body 1, provided the shaping of the rim 6 is brought'into a corresponding position with a similarly shaped inner surface 2 of the hollow body 1. The upper end of the outer casing 5 and the lower end of the hollow body 1 are screw-threaded to hold an upper and a lower closing cap 7 and 8, respectively. Across the wall of the outer casing 5 there is mounted a positioning screw 9, projecting into a slot 10 in the body 1.

In operation, the upper cap 7 is removed and the upper part of the nozzle cap 3, which holds a bayonet lock 11, is exposed, in a position shown on FIG. 1. The nozzle cap 3 is still locked because the shaped rim 6 is preventing the nozzle cap from slipping out of the holder (FIGS. 1 and 2). The nozzle cap 3 is attached to an injector by pressing the cap 3 against the injector and turning the outer casing 5 clockwise. The same force turns the outer casing 5 with the screw 9 into a releasing position as shown on FIGS. 3 and 5, enabling the holder to be pulled off from the nozzle cap 3.

After use, the holder, which is still in the releasing or now receiving position, can be pulled onto the nozzle cap again, and the cap 3 detached from the injector 'by an anticlockwise turn and pull of the outer casing S of the holder. The same force turns the outer casing 5 with the screw 9 into the locking position as shown on FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 securing thereby the cap in the holder. Upper closing cap 7 is then replaced, and the holder, with the nozzle cap safely locked in it, can be stored.

For sterilisation, the upper and lower caps 7 and 8 are simply removed and the inner parts and the orifice of the nozzle cap 3 are exposed to sterilising conditions. Caps 7 and 8 are then replaced under sterile condition.

What I claim is:

1. A holder for the protection and handling of a detachable nozzle cap of a needleless injector comprising in combination a hollow body for captively and nonrotatably accommodating the cap, the said hollow body having a first opening at one end for receiving the cap and a second opening at the other end providing access to the nozzle part of the cap, respective means for closing the openings, and an outer casing, which is turnably mounted on the hollow body and has locking means for securing the cap in the hollow body, the locking means being operated by the turning of the outer casing.

2. A holder according to claim 1, in which the locking means comprises an inward projecting rim or lip shaped and positioned so as to be capable of locking the nozzle cap inside the hollow body when turned relative to the same.

3. A holder according to claim 1, in which the hollow body has an inner surface which is formed so as to accommodate tightly a nozzle cap having a splined surface.

4. A holder according to claim 1, in which the turning of the outer casing on the hollow body is limited by a pin or an equivalent thereof, which is mounted across the wall of the outer casing and projects into an adjacent slot in the wall of the hollow body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,780,348 2/1957 Harter et al. 206l 2,879,766 3/ 1959 Wilburn.

2,908,198 10/1959 Staudt.

2,928,390 3/1960 Venditty et al.

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. A HOLDER FOR THE PROTECTION AND HANDLING OF A DETACHABLE NOZZLE CAP OF A NEEDLELESS INJECTOR COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A HOLLOW BODY FOR CAPTIVELY AND NONROTATABLY ACCOMMODATING THE CAP, THE SAID HOLLOW BODY HAVING A FIRST OPENING AT ONE END FOR RECEIVING THE CAP AND A SECOND OPENING AT ONE END PROVIDING ACCESS TO THE NOZZLE PART OF THE CAP, RESPECTIVE MEAN FOR CLOSING THE OPENINGS, AND AN OUTER CASING, WHICH IS TURNABLY MOUNTED ON THE HOLLOW BODY AND HAS LOCKING MEANS FOR SECURING THE CAP IN THE HOLLOW BODY, THE LOCKING MEANS BEING OPERATED BY THE TURNING OF THE OUTER CASING. 